Automatic electromagnetic switch.



J. N. REYNOLDS n A. P. DIXON. AUTOMATIC E LEGTROMAGNETIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED 0015, 1910.v

1,076,149. Patented 0@1..21,1913;

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AUTOMATIC ELEOTROMAGNBTIO SWITCH.

I APPLIoATloN FILED 001.5, 1910. 1,076,149, Patented 001.21, 1913.

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starting. magnet circuit; Fig. 3 is a section UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIO .TOEN N. REYNOLDS, OE GEEENWIOH, CONNECTICUT, AND Aivros E. DIXON, OE NEWARK,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO WESTERN ELECTRIC A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

,AUTOMATIC ELECTROlVIAGNETIC SWITCH.

Lomme.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct.21`,1913.

Application led October 5, 1910. Serial No. 585,425.

To all whom it may concern e it knowmthat We, JOHN N. REYNOLDS and AMos F.v DIXON, citizens of the United States, residing at Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield and State 'of Connecticut, and Newark, in the county vof Essex and State of New Jersey, respectively, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Electromagnetic Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic electromagnetic switches.

The object of the invention is to provide a rotating Switch, of the described character, having capacity to quickly and effectively connect and disconnect circuits or parts of circuits by a uniform step or advance movement and to do this when Started into operation by current impulses which may vary widel in extent or duration.

A further object is to provide a Simple, compact and inexpensive device, useful in connecting and disconnecting metallic circuits.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a top planview; Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the magnet and the circuit controlling wheel to be placed in the On line 3--3, Fig. 1, showing the stop wheel and the pawl controlled. by the magnet; Fig. t is a diagram of the controlling or operating circuit; Fig, 5 shows the controlling magnet and its relation to the moving parts operated by it, and Fig. G is another view of the magnet and its relation to the clutch device.

The switch employs a metal `plate a; a part thereof, f, -is turned at an angle and again turned and shaped, as shown in Fig; 2, to form a support for the fixed spring contacts lO'Which are held by angular metal' pieces 11 fixed to part f by screws 12. Metal piece 11 supportstwo contacts 10 insulated from each other and from part f by insulating material all held together by screws 13. The plate a is turned up at one end e to form a bearin for the end of the rotatable shaft "c, and te other end of shaft c is supported in a bearing b fixed on plate a. On shaft o are a series of metal disks o with collars, fixed equidistant by screws 20; each disk o is perforated with a series of holes 14 (Fig. 3) nearthe periphery; to these disks 0 are fixed a series of segmental contacts 15; these contacts vary in angular extent designed to main'- tain an electrical contact for a greater or lesser period during the rotation of shaft o, as may be required. The holes lll are to provide for changing the position and Sequence of the segments, to adapt the switch to any required conditions and to substitute segments differing in extent. ments are insulated from the disk which supports them as shown at 16, and are electrically connected to one another by the rivets or screws which pass through said Segments and through the holes 14 in the disks 0,' and two segments are fixed on opposite sides of each disk o respectively. The initial contactedge of each segment 0 is bent outward to engage the oli'set end 17 of atixed contact 10: the contacts 10 enga e the se ments 15 on the flat side and ma 'e a rub ing cont-act therewith. These fixed and movable contacts, 10 and 15, are arranged to engage on successive disks o in any desired sequence or radial positions and this arrangement may be changed at pleasure. The contacts 10 are pressed toward each other between parallel segments 15 during contact.'

The shaft c is rotated by a power driven shaft s, and connection between the two shafts is controlled by a magnet wa. This magnet is arranged to be energized by an initial electric impulse, ."vhich impulse may be extremely light 4or short, or may be stronger or longer according to the degree oi care exercised by. the human agency trans,- mitting the impulse. lt is desirable that whatever Ihe'eharacier of this transmitted impulse, the switch shall advance a step 'or fixed unit distance and then stop unless the circuit be held closed or again elo-sed at the end of such step. On the shaft c is fixed a flexible disll'qit-"Mis preferably made of leather or some-soft surfaced, yielding, resilient and self-sustaining material. Fixed On shaft s is a metal disk 'v in close proximity to the plane of rotation of disk d. Magnet m is onv an extension bf plate (1 and its armature 25 is on an angular frame 21,-

These lSegan armBO composed of two parallelmem-` lo plate c. by a screw 24. The armature framel 421 carries a pawl 26, and said frame 21 and pawl 26 are retracted vby spring 22.-, The pawl 26 is in position to engage a ratchet or stop' wheel- 27 fixed'on shait 0,' this ratchet wheel 27 is formed of a metal disk having its periphery cut ata intervals forming a series of separate projections 28, liketeeth, the advance edge 29 of each such?v projection 28 being curved or turned to allow the pawl 26 to engage the edge of the next projection in the plane of the disk; be-

' tween these notches the pawl 26 rideson thesur'face of a projection 28. Betweenthe parallel plates of the,y armatureframe21 1sbers pivoted at '31;' the free-end of arm 30 carries al freely rotatable disk itl-fandarm 30- is connected to armature frame .21,'f'and held ina retracted position, by la spring 32. The movement of the arm 45.0 by t elspring 32 is limited by 'a pin 33 passing l .through the ffJarmature-.frame 21, as shown in' Figs; 1, 3,

arm 30' carrying the disk 25, is pivotedwin the armature frame 21 and is `yieldingly held in a certain position by the sprin 32; .and that the armature frame 21 is itsel pivotally supportedl and yieldingly held in a certain position bythe spring 22. When magnet'-m is energized, disk w is carried into engagement with theleather disk d and disk Z is deflected and forced into engagement with disk o on driving shaft s so that 4disk 0l and shaft c are rotated during the time these disks d, 'u and lw are in the last described contact relation.

Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates .the actuating mechanism of the device above described, and shows the electrical circuits which control it. The parts c, m, fw, o, d, s, 21, 22, 26, 27 30 and 82 will vbe recognized as diagrammatically representing the parts which are given'these reference characters in the other figures. Only one rotary contact member is shown on the shaft c, and for the sake of clearness this contact disk 39 and its -coperating Contact finger 40 are of simler -construction than the contact segments a() and the coperating fingers 10 hereinbefore described. With the arrangement shown in Fig, 4 it is to'be understood thatA the finger 40 engages and makes electrical connection with the disk 39 only'when said finger is riding upon the outer ends of the projections 41 on the'edge of the disk 39; it being understood -that the same result might be accomplished `by the construction hercinbefore described.

-The operation of the switchmechanism is controlled by a circuit closer p located in the circuit through the actuating coil 43 of a relay havingsarmovable contact member 44 which coperates with the fixed contact member 45. The current for the magnet m is furnishedI by a vbattery 46. -From' this battery current is carried to the magnet fm, through two circuits,l that is, either throughthe contacts 44 and 45 of the relay-and the wire 47, or through the wire 48,' the disk 39,

'contactfinger 40 and wire 49, as it will be obvious from Fig. 4.

The operation of the system shown in Fig.

4 is as follows: When the switch?? is closed,

the actuating coil 43 of the relay is energized and the contacts 44 and 45 of said relay are brought together. The magnet mis therefore energized from the battery through the contacts of the relay and through the wire 47. The energization of magnet m causes movement of the armature 421 with consequent release of the disk 27,y by the armv 26 l' and driving of the shaft-c fron'i the driving vshaft s, in the manner hereinbefore de` through theI contacts 44 and 45 of the relay, and even if the switchp is open, the magnet lm, Ywill continue to be energized and the shaft c will continue to bedriven until the finger 40 ceases to engage with the projec-l tion 41, thereby interrupting the circuit. The projections 41 on the disk 39 are so arranged that the duration of contact between the finger 40 and the projections will be'sufcient toy insure rotation of the shaft oonly through one complete step in the rotation of the shaft`o. From the foregoing it will beobvious that even if the switch p is only maintained closed momentarily, rotation of the shaft c will take Yplace through an angle corresponding to a complete step. j

What wey claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

-1. -In an electromagnetic switch, the combination of a rotatable shaft, disks on said shaft suitably spaced and fixed in position? 'segmental contacts arranged, at varying cirawayfrom its complementary contact, and

va series of fixed complementary contacts,

-This circuit is independent of thel circuit one for each segment, each such contact having its engaging terminal offset to engage a 4 Y,

segmental contact on the surface thereof.

2. In an electromagnetic switch, the oombination of a rotatable shaft, a series of pairs of fixed flat spring contacts, andy a series of pairs of segmental vcontacts fixed on said shaft, each pair in position lto engage a pair of said fixed 4contacts between them and to deliect them, substantially as described.V y j 3. 1n, an electromagnetic switch, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a series of disks fixed on said shaft, .segmental 'contacts adjustably fixed to said :disks at varying circumferentialfpoints', and suitable lcomplementary flat springcont-actsl arranged to engage said contacts on ;the flat surface thereof.I i A ,v

4C. In an electromagnetic switch, a rotatable' shaft, disks fixed thereto, said disks having perforations at suitable pointsad' jacent to the circumference thereof, a seriesv of xedcontact-s, a series of complementary segmental contacts, and means enteringsad perforations for. adjustably .securing said segmental vcontacts to sadvvdisksLg-ff '5. Inan'felectromagnetic switch, arcta-Q` i table sha-ft,-. aseries ot disks-thereon, seg-, mental contacts. insulatively secured'fto .sai

disks,l and stationary spring contacts' ar ranged tofi'e'ngal e 'said segmental contactsl upon rotation o said shaft;

6. In an electromagnetic switch arcta- 4 table shaft, disks fixed thereto, insulated segmental 'contacts .adjust-ably secured to said disks, and corresponding fixed contacts arranged to engage said segmental contacts 4upon rotationof said shaft, v

7. In an electromagnetic Switch, va rotatable shaft, a disk thereon, pair of electrcally connected cam shaped contacts in sulatively secured on opposite sides of said disk` and fixed brushes arranged to engagev said contacts upon rotation of said shaft.

8. In lan electromagnetic switch, a rotatable shaft, disks thereon., pairs of electrically connected cam shaped contacts in snlatively secured to opposite sides of said disksv respectively, and corresponding pairs of fixed brushes arranged. to vengage adjacent sides of said contacts. `upon rotation of said shaft.

d In Witness whereof, We, hereunto sublG'oples of this iraient may heohtaine, for

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

.Washingtoxn '.D. C.

'JOHN i1. REYNOLDS. 

